Footwear closure system

Abstract

An improved closure system for athletic footwear, comprises a plurality of lace supports attached to the medial and lateral quarter panels of a boot. Each lace support has a holding unit at a first end and an attachment portion at a second end. The holding unit comprises a tube for holding a shoe lace. The attachment portion preferably comprises two legs which are fastened to a panel of the boot. The legs are fastened to the panels by at least one row of stitching extending traversely across the legs. The lace supports preferably are manufactured of a semi-rigid material, such as plastic, which creates a low-friction surface to pass the lace over. When embodiments of the lace supports are incorporated into athletic footwear, they result in boots that are easy to lace and that provide a secure fit to the user's foot.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention generally relates to footwear, and more specifically to closure systems for athletic footwear. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Footwear generally comprises three parts: the sole, the upper, and the closure system. All three features play a role in the comfort, protection and performance of footwear. Athletic footwear generally includes shoes, boots and skates. Generally, the sole is used for cushioning and protecting the heel and toe portions of the wearer. In skates, such as hockey skates, the sole attaches the foot to a bladeholder or a wheeled chassis. [0005] The upper protects the foot from the environment and holds the footwear securely to the wearer's foot. Preferably the upper is made of a lightweight material such that it does not require the user to expend extra energy in lifting the foot. In some applications, however, a sturdier and heavier material is preferred in or...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] In accordance with yet another embodiment, a sports shoe is provided, comprising an inner foot panel having an upper edge and an outer foot panel having an upper edge. The inner and outer panels are disposed on generally opposite sides of the shoe, and a space is defined between the upper edges. A lacing system comprises a plurality of lace supports. Each lace support comprises a generally rigid hollow holding portion having a tube portion configured to accommodate a shoelace fit therethrough. A surface of the tube portion has relatively low friction, and the tube has a longitudinal axis. Each lace support further comprises at least two elongate leg portions extending from the holding portion. Preferably, the lace support is unitarily formed. The leg portions of each lace support are attached to one of the inner and outer panels at at least two spaced apart locations so that the tube portion is suspended in the space between the upper edges. The longitudinal axis of each tube portion is generally parallel to a tangent of the respective edge adjacent the lace portion.

Problems solved by technology

When a boot upper is constructed of relatively heavy materials, eyelets often fail to distribute sufficient tension through the quarter panels to provide a snug fit about the foot.

Images